Leaf Sugar Cookies Recipes

EASTER EGG SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the sugar dough: Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat together the vanilla and egg in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula as needed.
• Reduce the speed to low again, slowly pour in the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating until combined after each and increasing the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed. Once all the flour is just incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide into 2 even pieces. Shape each piece into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Dust another sheet of parchment with flour and put 1 dough piece on top. Dust with more flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out between the parchment sheets into a square about 1/4 inch thick (and about 11 by 9 inches) and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
• Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, cut out cookies with a 2 1/2- by 2 2/4-inch Easter egg cookie cutter and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate while you cut the remaining cookies. Reroll any scraps of dough and repeat the freezing, cutting and refrigerating process until all the dough is used. Repeat with the remaining dough sheet.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets front to back and bottom to top about halfway through, until cookies are golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• For the icing: Meanwhile, sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until the icing is thick enough to show the line of the whisk that disappears within about 8 seconds.
• Place 3 tablespoons white icing in each of 3 separate bowls. Tint each a different color and cover with plastic wrap (see Cook's Note). Place 1/4 cup white icing in another bowl, covering the remaining white icing with plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Drizzle one of the colored icings (about 1 tablespoon) onto the 1/4 cup white icing and swirl with a toothpick.
• Next, dip the surface of a cookie in the swirled icing and remove slowly, allowing any excess to drip off. Shake the cookie over the bowl of icing to remove any excess. Gently smooth the icing with a toothpick to fill in any gaps, if necessary. Place the finished cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Use the tip of the toothpick to pop any bubbles that appear. Drizzle more colored icing as needed. Repeat this process with the next 2 colors and the remaining white icing until all the cookies are decorated. Let set for 30 minutes. Store single layers of cookies, with parchment in between, in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Stir together sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Stir 8 drops yellow food color into 1 part dough to make yellow dough. Stir 8 drops yellow and 3 drops red food color into another part dough to make orange dough. Stir 10 drops red, 8 drops green and 3 drops yellow food color into remaining dough to make brown dough.
• Drop small portions of each of the 3 colors of dough close together in random pattern onto lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Roll doughs together into marbled pattern to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2- to 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in center. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add yolk, then 1/2 cup maple syrup, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a sheet of lightly floured parchment. Place parchment with dough on baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Cut out cookies from frozen dough using a 3 1/2-inch maple-leaf-shaped cutter, and space 1 inch apart on sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until edges begin to turn golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer parchment with cookies to wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush cookies with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and sprinkle with 1/2 the sanding sugar. Let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, maple syrup, and sugar. (Cookies will keep for up to 2 days.)

MAPLE LEAF SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Measure 3 cups of sifted flour and salt into sifter.
• Set aside. (I put the sifter on the flour tin lid, so I won't loose the flour that comes through before I sift into the other ingredients.).
• Beat softened butter and the two sugars until light and creamy. (medium high speed on electric mixer).
• Reduce speed and add egg yolk until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and mix until blended.
• Remove beaters and now use a wooden spoon.
• Slowly sift flour into bowl mixing with wooden spoon, until just well blended.
• Divide dough into thirds and make each 1/3 into a flat disc.
• Place on sheets of floured wax paper, with well floured hands.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to thoroughly chill dough.
• Take discs from refrigerator and roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness, and put in freezer to firm for about 15 minutes. (this makes it easier to handle the cut cookies).
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable cooking spray.
• Cut cookies from chilled dough and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of cookie.
• Move cookies to wire rack and brush with maple syrup (this is the other 1/2 cup of syrup) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. (I use red, yellow, and green sanding sugars, although the white is lovely too.).
• Place in tin or serving plate when cool.